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Rochester Attractions
Genesee Country Village & Museum
Hours Tues noon-4pm; Wed and Fri 10am-4pm; Thurs 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-5pm; Sun noon-5pm
Address 1410 Flint Hill Rd., Mumford
Phone 585/538-6822
About 20 miles southwest of Rochester, this assembly of 58 historic buildings gathered from around upstate New York re-creates a working 19th-century village. Interpreters in period costume bring the 1800s to life with demonstrations of pottery making, blacksmithing, basket and cheese making, quilting, spinning, and cooking over an open hearth. Buildings include a tavern, general store, an Italianate villa mansion, an octagon-shaped home, and the boyhood home of George Eastman (of Kodak fame). The buildings are further enlivened by period gardens, roaming animals, and even a baseball diamond, where New York State's vintage teams in period dress play games according to 19th-century rules. Year-round, there is a full calendar of activities, such as a Civil War candlelight tour or country yuletide celebrations; check the website for schedule. Finally, there's an extensive gallery of wildlife and sporting art and nature center with walking trails. Allow at least a full morning or afternoon here.
George Eastman House
Hours Tues-Sat 10am-4:30pm (Thurs until 8pm); Sun 1-4:30pm; May daily 10am-5pm
Address 900 East Ave
Phone 585/271-3362
George Eastman, the founder of the legendary company Kodak and known as the father of popular photography, was born in upstate New York and reared in Rochester. An innovator, philanthropist, and consummate businessman, Eastman endowed the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester -- just one of many civic-minded projects -- and he left his magnificent mansion, now a National Historic Landmark and the oldest photography museum in the world, also to the University (in fact, for a time, university presidents lived there). Visitors can tour several rooms and the wonderful formal gardens of his magnificent 1905 Colonial Revival mansion. Every bit as interesting, if not more so, are the extraordinary itinerant exhibitions and permanent photography collections, which include more than 400,000 prints and negatives, one of the most important collections of silent film in the world, and a superb collection of antique cameras and photographic technology. The Eastman House, which possesses some of the most extensive motion picture and photography archives in the world, is a treasure trove for researchers. Guided tours and audio tours of the house are available. Most children love the "Discovery Room" (open Tues-Sun 1-4pm), which allows them to inspect antique cameras and make filmstrips and sun prints. Onsite are a terrific gift shop and nice cafe.
Memorial Art Gallery
Hours Tues noon-4pm; Wed and Fri 10am-4pm; Thurs 10am-9pm; Sat 10am-5pm; Sun noon-5pm
Address 500 University Ave
Phone 585/473-7720
One of the country's best regional museums, the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), part of the University of Rochester, covers the gamut from medieval to contemporary art, and occasionally hosts excellent traveling shows. Very good galleries of 17th- to 19th-century European art include paintings by Reubens, Rembrandt, Monet, Cézanne, and Matisse. The beautiful central gallery with a skylight over the museum's collection of 20th-century sculpture is a pleasant place to relax among works by Henry Moore and others. The gallery's restaurant, Cutler's, is a great place for lunch (Tues-Sun) or dinner (Thurs-Sat).
Strong Museum
Hours Mon-Thurs and Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 10am-5pm
Location One Manhattan Sq
Phone 585/263-2700
This imaginative place is a splendid interactive museum for children and almost certain to entertain adults, too. It is, simply, one of the finest children's museums in the country. There's a re-creation of Sesame Street, a miniature grocery store, where kids can shop and even scan their own groceries, and a fantastic dance lab and radio station where kids make their own sound effects -- a real wonderland. Plenty of local families buy annual passes to make it their own personal playground and theme park. The museum even operates its own mini branch of the local library system, and there are books at every turn. The museum began as an outgrowth of a local woman's 20,000-strong collection of dolls, dollhouses, and toys (one of the largest collections in the world, it is impressive but comparatively static given all the activity going on elsewhere in the building). Adults will surely feel a tinge of nostalgia viewing the National Toy Hall of Fame. Plan on a visit of several hours if you're in the presence of curious children; also on-site are a great gift shop and an actual 1950s Skyliner diner, a great place to take a break and refuel for more playing.
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